(Jenkins et al, 2019)
Today, I picked up this book from my shelf, which I bought a while back now. At first I didn't read much past the first pages, but recently I have decided to pick it back up off my shelf. This book is genuinely one of the most beautiful books I own. I absolutely adore the layout inside the book, as well as how pretty the cover is (first being my favourite book on Aubrey Beardsley which I definitely will talk about in a post soon as I will never stop mentioning his ink work). Currently for some reason I'm very interested in printmaking throughout history, and this book, titled "The Renaissance of Etching" by Catherine Jenkins, is perfect for this. i find etchings very inspiring through my work as you know me I love that mix of positive and negative space in my drawings.
As someone who loves printmaking and has always been drawn to these early printing techniques. I find it cool to see how artists first began experimenting with printing. Etching specifically began as a cheap way for decorating armour and metalwork before becoming a medium for artists to draw and print on paper. So the beginning of this book just provides information about the materials and techniques used in these early printing in metal work too. (Jenkins et al, 2019) I like how the book describes the freedom etching gave artists. Im comparison to that of engravings or woodcut, etching allowed for a more fluid and sketch-like line drawing directly on the plate. A revolutionary technique, artists who could suddenly translate their drawings into prints but still feel natural and normal. (Jenkins et al, 2019) It shows how it opens up entirely new pathways for artists.
Cuirass and Tassets (Torso and Hip Defense), An example of German figural etching on metal armour
(Metmuseum.org, 2022)
I’m also really interested in how quickly etching spread across Europe and how it changed the way images circulated. I'm looking forward to reading about how it evolved from country to country, as each one has distinct themes. Printmaking made art more accessible, allowing ideas and imagery to travel further, most famous examples that comes to mind is the famous etching of Dürer's Rhinoceros of cause. (Metmuseum.org, 2022) That sense of experimentation and discovery feels very alive in this book, and it reminds me why I’m so drawn to early printmaking, I mean not just because of the skill of cause.
I guess I'll give an update when I'm more than 1/4 through the book, but so far as it goes id definitely recommend it for the images alone. Beautifully printed and layed out.
Dürer's Rhinoceros etching by Albrecht Dürer
(Metmuseum.org, 2022)
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Another random thought from today is from a post I saw from an artist called Harry Clarke, a stained-glass artist as well as a really amazing and talented black-and-white ink illustrator. His work in both mediums was heavily inspired by the French Symbolism and Art Nouveau movements. (Dark Art and Craft, 2020) Something about his work just I don't know clicked with me after seeing a random post on X. I honestly don’t know why I hadn’t looked into his glass work much more before. His black-and-white illustrations already align very closely with what I love you know that elegant but dramatic quality with flowing ink and line work with photographicsl and theatrical compositions with striking contrasts ect ect. So yeh it makes sense, given how much I’m drawn to his ink work in general. But today, it’s his stained glass that’s really speaking to me which is cool as I am trying to look into different aspects of the art world outside of ink within those art movements.
Harry Clarke for Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Travelling Companion
(Dark Art and Craft, 2020)
The image I saw anyway was The Geneva Window. There’s this incredible mix of techniques in the lines and the colours and I love the way colour flows through adding details. It’s genuinely stunning. I do enjoy colour work when it’s handled this way as I'm not always that drawn to work with colored as much as I'd like but I like it when it's more controlled and atmospheric if that makes sense.
I think part of why this work has grabbed me as I've always been chasing a similar visual art for a long time. For example I’ve always loved the work of Aubrey Beardsley, who has probably been my biggest artistic influence (as I have already mentioned I'm obsessed I know), as well as just my favourite artist overall. His work changed the way I started to draw as his work is why I became obsessed with that stylised line, photographical artwork with dramatic lighting, contrasts and sense of design. Clarke feels like a he kinda follows that pathway, but translated into slightly more colour in his glass work but with light rather than black and white contrasts. In many ways, his stained glass feels like Beardsley’s dramatic compositions but you know with that glowing and shifting element rather than fixed. I think my background in photography also feeds into this as I’m always drawn to illustrations that feel composed like a captured moment rather than a static image. (Cullen, 2010) I think what draws me in is the use of deep blues on top of the layered patterns, the effect becomes incredibly dramatic and immersive. There’s something almost poetic about it. I quite enjoy that there a dreamlike quality to the compositions It feels less like frozen.
"Geneva Window" by Harry Clarke
(MeisterDrucke, 2025)
In terms of context anyways, The Geneva Window was designed by Clarke in the mid-1920s, commissioned after the First World War. The details reflect a world attempting to rebuild itself after the horrific aftermath of war. (The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, 2024) The light passes through the glass with the overly saturated colours change and create different emotional effects throughout the day. I think maybe that was intentional due to the context of the commission?
I think it's nice to know the historical side too as much as I love analysing technical aspects. Clarke’s work is also deeply connected to Irish literary and cultural currents of the early twentieth century. He came from the Irish Literary Revival, which placed a strong emphasis on myths and moral complexity. (Bullard, 2022) Writers like Pádraic Pearse were reimagining Irish culture through literature, often engaging with themes of sacrifice so these sort of ideas are present and inspired Clarke’s stained glass. Additionally first pane of the Geneva Window actually incorporated poem by Pearse titled "The Wayfarer". This did lead to the commission becoming rejected for being too provocative and controversial though. (Independent, 2015)
Pannel 6 of "Geneva Window"
(Blaney, 2023)
In conclusion though honestly there's nothing I dislike about his work at all. Like I've mentioned a million times I really love the oversatiration and composition. What I love most about Clarke’s stained glass is the way he translates colour and light into something alive. The bold outlines contrast sharply giving the figures a sense of movement. It’s inspiring, especially as someone who rarely uses colour in their own work so I like when it's done abit differently. I think learning more about how artists like Clarke understood colour and light could really help me think about how to incorporate into into my own practices.
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My favourite random weekly sketch I've done:
Random quick doodles of birds
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References:
Blaney, A. (2023). Collectors offer to lend Harry Clarke stained glass windows for new museum in Dublin. [online] Irish Independent. Available at: https://m.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/collectors-offer-to-lend-harry-clarke-stained-glass-windows-for-new-museum-in-dublin/a762797369.html [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
Bullard, E. (2022). Irish Literary Revival | EBSCO. [online] EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com. Available at: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/irish-literary-revival [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
Cullen, M. (2010). Harry Clarke Stained Glass Windows – Harry Clarke (1889 to 1931) was undoubtedly Ireland’s greatest stained glass artist. [online] Henry Clarke. Available at: https://www.harryclarke.net/ [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
Dark Art and Craft. (2020). Images of Mystery and Imagination: the Illustrated Work of Harry Clarke. [online] Available at: https://darkartandcraft.com/blogs/news/through-the-looking-glass-the-work-of-harry-clarke?srsltid=AfmBOorHCkJuw8Za4IcQ3-vHI8-8rl4aOkpLX2OvbK7pzRbkbdkxpSuE [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
Independent, I. (2015). Rising Poems: ‘The Wayfarer’ by Patrick Pearse. [online] Irish Independent. Available at: https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/rising-poems-the-wayfarer-by-patrick-pearse/34222347.html [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
Jenkins, C., Orenstein, N., Freyda Spira, Fuhring, P., La, D.J., Anne Varick Lauder, Christof Metzger, Femke Speelberg, Ad Stijnman, Terjanian, P., Zaunbauer, J., New, A. and Graphische Sammlung Albertina (2019). The renaissance of etching. New York, New York: The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New Haven, Connecticut.
MeisterDrucke (2025). The Geneva Window, eight panels depicting scenes from early Irish literature. [online] MeisterDrucke. Available at: https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/Harry-Clarke/551501/The-Geneva-Window [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
Metmuseum.org. (2022). Renaissance of Etching. [online] Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2019/renaissance-of-etching [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
The Wolfsonian-Florida International University (2024). Harry Clarke’s Geneva Window and the Irish Free State - Google Arts & Culture. [online] Google Arts & Culture. Available at: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/harry-clarke%E2%80%99s-geneva-window-and-the-irish-free-state-the-wolfsonian-florida-international-university/QgXRl5iSZDgXIQ?hl=en [Accessed 21 Dec. 2025].
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